Palm Springs greeted Bryce and me with sunshine, but as always, DET/CHE brought the warmth.
DETCHE is one of my favorite conferences in the higher education and EdTech landscape. Every time, I leave feeling inspired, not only by the ideas shared but by the people who show up with an open spirit. DETCHE brings together leaders from across the CSU system, the UC system, California Community Colleges, and private institutions. It creates a rare ecosystem where strategy, innovation, and community truly intersect.
One thing was clear again this year:
EdTech is not about technology. It is about people.
And DETCHE 2025 showed that more strongly than ever.
A Conference Format Built for Collaboration
DETCHE is refreshingly different. Sponsors are not isolated in hallways or exhibition spaces. Instead, sponsors sit in the same room as delegates. We hear the same conversations, the same challenges, the same institutional concerns, and hopes.
For a technology provider like Drieam, this is invaluable. When we hear what institutions grapple with, we can build solutions that truly help and help at scale. The format also gave us space for meaningful conversations about the two solutions we brought this year, Eduframe and Qualtrics LTI, and how they support the operational and learner-experience challenges institutions raised in the room. DETCHE sets the stage for real collaboration, and I wish more conferences adopted this approach.
The Human in the Loop: Why Humanity Must Lead EdTech
Crista Copp’s opening keynote, “The Human in the Loop: Centering and Fostering Humanity in EdTech” perfectly captured the conference’s theme.
She reminded us that:
- Employees stay when they experience agency and flexibility
- Learners thrive when they feel belonging, not only efficiency
- Leaders guide journeys without owning them
- Technology should illuminate human processes, not overshadow them
The word that kept resurfacing across sessions was agency.
Employee agency. Learner agency. Agency in leadership.
Even agency in how we choose to adapt to AI.
Agency is the ability for learners, staff, and leaders to make informed decisions with clarity and autonomy. It is becoming a foundational element in human-centered educational design.
AI in Education: Moving from Debate to Responsible Adaptation
If previous years focused on whether institutions should use AI, DETCHE 2025 made it clear that AI already permeates classrooms, administration, and student support. The question now is how to use it responsibly.
Many students are not as AI-literate as we assume. They feel overwhelmed by the tools available and unsure how to use them meaningfully. Institutions are seeking clarity, confidence, guardrails, and a sense of control.
As one speaker summarized, AI is no longer about adoption. It is about adaptation. And adaptation requires agency too.
Accessibility: Designing for Belonging, Not Only Compliance
Accessibility took the stage, influenced by the upcoming AA compliance requirements set to take effect in May 2026. This will require institutions to review and redesign large amounts of instructional content.
But the message went deeper than compliance. Accessibility is not paperwork. It is belonging.
With 35 percent of students with disabilities reporting that they do not feel adequately supported, institutions must think beyond checklists. Designing for belonging means:
- Creating courses where all learners can participate
- Expanding access through inclusive design
- Ensuring everyone can exercise agency in their learning
This aligns closely with conversations I have globally, including with partners like UPCEA, about designing with learners instead of for them.
Continuing Education: A Growing Priority Across California
Continuing education surfaced in many conversations this year because learner needs are shifting. Adults want:
- Flexible, low threshold pathways
- Job relevant credentials
- Opportunities that feel achievable rather than intimidating
Institutions are asking the right strategic questions.
- What model fits our adult learning audience?
- How do we build a non credit ecosystem?
- How do we scale operations without scaling administrative burden?
This is exactly where Eduframe supports institutions, helping them manage, deliver and scale continuing & professional programs without adding administrative weight. It was wonderful to see this recognized at DETCHE.
A standout moment for me was UC Merced’s poster session. Annette Roberts Webb shared their progress in continuing education and how they are preparing to scale with Eduframe. Attendees did not simply ask what they do. They asked why they chose this approach, how they structured their systems, and what challenges they solved.
For a non-US company like ours, this kind of openness from a customer is invaluable. It builds trust, credibility, and connection. Thank you again, Annette, for representing the work so beautifully.
Community, Connection, and the Power of Long-Term Partnerships
DETCHE is also a reunion. It is a place to reconnect with partners and friends we have collaborated with for many years. Conversations at DETCHE are not rushed or transactional. They are genuine, human, and sustaining.
These relationships matter. They spark collaboration. They nurture innovation. They drive meaningful change in EdTech. They are also a big part of why I love attending conferences.
Looking Ahead: Human First, Always
As I left Palm Springs, one message stayed with me.
We cannot advance education without advancing humanity.
Humanity in education requires agency, connection, belonging, transparency, flexibility, and tools that support the people behind them.
EdTech is not here to automate people out of learning. It is here to help learners, educators, and institutions thrive at scale.
DETCHE reminded me of that. It energized me. And it will guide how we continue to build at Drieam, whether through Eduframe, Portflow, Qualtrics LTI and the work we do with institutions worldwide, to give educators more clarity, give learners more ownership, and make learning feel genuinely human.I am already looking forward to DETCHE 2026. And maybe next time, I will even get to enjoy a bit more….. sunshine!
About the Author: Mieke Ridderhof
